


The Camera Loves You

by aph_dansk



Category: Hetalia: Axis Powers
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-02-01
Updated: 2016-02-01
Packaged: 2018-05-17 13:39:50
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,584
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5871709
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/aph_dansk/pseuds/aph_dansk
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Arthur had never been one for taking pictures of himself. Which is why he insisted that when Alfred got his new camera, he take pictures of scenery or his other friends or of Alfred himself, but not Arthur. <br/>Alfred, being one to never follow rules, had to take a picture of his boyfriend.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Camera Loves You

Arthur had never been one for taking pictures of himself. Which is why he insisted that when Alfred got his new camera, he take pictures of scenery or his other friends or of Alfred himself, but not Arthur.

                Alfred, being one to never follow rules, had to take a picture of his boyfriend. It wasn’t just about breaking the rules, he also wanted a picture of Arthur since he had none at all. Sure, Arthur might be a little self-conscious, but Alfred thought he looked great, and maybe a good photograph would be able to convince Arthur to have a little confidence in himself. And come on, with that face, how could you not want to take a picture?

                Arthur wouldn’t budge, though. No matter how much Alfred begged, he would not allow any pictures of himself. He didn’t understand why Alfred wanted a picture of him so badly, when he was able to see him in person whenever he wanted to. Ask all he want, the answer would be no.

                Alfred, being just as stubborn as Arthur, wouldn’t take no for an answer. Whether or not Arthur would let him take a photo, there would be one. The first attempts of taking Arthur’s picture were miserable failures, of course. At first, Alfred had tried to ask Arthur while he was distracted, as he often said yes to anything without actually paying attention to what was being asked. Arthur, knowing that Alfred would try that trick, made sure to actually listen to what he said, and promptly shut him down. Alfred may be clever, but Arthur was always one step ahead.

                Alfred then decided to try to take a picture of Arthur by just taking one by surprise. After several failed attempts, all Alfred had to show for his work were multiple pictures of books, pillows, and various other large objects held in front of Arthur’s face, and a single blurry picture of a loveseat with a tuft of Arthur’s hair in the corner, where he had ducked down when he couldn’t find something to cover himself quickly enough. Alfred took the printed photos and added them to his photo wall, which baffled Arthur to no end since they had no real meaning or depth in them compared to the other photos on the wall.

                Arthur had hoped that after so many tries Alfred would give up, but he underestimated his boyfriend’s stubbornness. It seemed that Alfred always had some new trick up his sleeve to get a picture of Arthur, from hiding in bushes, putting the camera just out of view until right before the picture, and even hanging from the ceiling in front of a doorway as Arthur walked through it. At one point Alfred even resorted to begging him, pulling out the old puppy eyes trick. As tempting as the last attempt was, Arthur still refused to sit for a picture.

                After weeks of attempts, it had finally seemed like Alfred had given up on his mission. The attempts to take Arthur’s photo became few and far in between, until it ceased altogether. Arthur became comfortable in the quiet peacefulness, not having to always look over his shoulder, constantly worrying about a camera. He was finally able to relax after having his guard up 24/7.

                Relishing in the calmness of the situation, Arthur sat down to do the daily crossword. He was so invested in the puzzle that he hadn’t even noticed Alfred sit across from him at the table. Not only did he not notice Alfred sit across from him, but he also missed the way Alfred put his arms on the table, holding something. Holding a camera.

                Kids, take this as a lesson to not let your guard down, ever. Because if Arthur had taken that advice, he wouldn’t have been in this situation.

                “Hey Arthur,” Alfred said, so quietly it was almost a whisper. He was already in ready position, chest pressed against the table where the camera lay, finger on the shutter, eye pressed against the viewfinder.

                Arthur looked up. The last thing on his mind was having to worry about a camera, so he hadn’t gone on the defensive before looking. Oh, if only he had.

                _Click!_

Arthur didn’t even have time to think before the picture was taken. He froze for a few seconds, his brain processing what just happened. Alfred smiled, straightening his back. He looked triumphantly at the camera, before giving a smug look to Arthur, saying, “gotcha!”

                “Delete it.” Arthur didn’t have a stern or angry look on his face, more of a shocked look. He tried to reach for the camera, but Alfred held it behind his head, out of Arthur’s reach.

                “No can do, buddy. I’m keeping this one.” Arthur gave a huff of annoyance, standing up to get the camera.

                “What do you mean you can’t delete it?” Arthur wasn’t playing, he wanted that picture gone, and he didn’t want to give it the chance of being saved on a computer or something.

                “I mean, I really can’t delete it. There’s no delete button on film photography,” Alfred said, letting Arthur take the camera from him. He looked at the back of the camera, but instead of the screen and buttons he was used to in the modern age, there was only a chart of the numbers on the lens dial and the appropriate distance to use each one at. Instead of a digital camera, Alfred’s was an actual 35mm film camera. Why on earth did Alfred have such an old camera?!? Arthur had thought that it was merely vintage-looking, not actually vintage. Hell, this camera was so old that the company went out of business!

                Arthur wasn’t one for rash decisions, but he had one last resort. “There is a delete button, I’ll have you know. I just have to open the back of it!” He said, fingers moving to the back release. Alfred, in panic mode, scooped the camera out of Arthur’s hands, cradling it in his arms out of Arthur’s reach.

                “Don’t! If you do that, then all the pictures get ruined! All twenty seven of them! One picture isn’t worth the loss of twenty six others!” Alfred cried, holding the camera above his head when Arthur tried to grab at it. Damn, was he glad he had the height advantage there.

                Arthur stopped jumping for the camera, his shoulders drooping. With no possible way to get rid of the picture, he let his disapproval show the only way he knew how in this situation: repeatedly banging his head against Alfred’s chest as he let out a long “ughhhh.”

                Alfred, sensing his boyfriend’s discomfort, tried to comfort him without sacrificing what he had worked so hard on getting. “I promise I won’t show it to anyone if you don’t want to, I just wanted something to keep for myself. It’ll be something for just the two of us to see.”

                That was enough to convince Arthur that it was okay to keep the picture. Surely, if it wasn’t shown to anyone else, then it couldn’t do any harm. And if Arthur decided he didn’t like it, then he could always get rid of it after seeing it.

* * *

 

                Arthur had to wait a few weeks before he could see the picture. It was ridiculous, why would Alfred want a less convenient camera that takes weeks before he could see photographs when modern cameras could show you the photo in an instant?

                When the photos came back developed, Arthur hurriedly tore open the package, flipping through the photos before he could find the one he was looking for. Alfred had probably already seen it; he most likely would have looked through the pictures before driving home from the drugstore. Arthur counted out twenty seven photographs, not looking at the content of them but more so their number, having remembered Alfred saying it was the twenty seventh. He pulled the photo out of the stack, setting the others on the table as he looked at it.

                There he was, in the photo. He was sitting at the table, shoulders a little bent forward, looking up from the newspaper on the table in front of him. The half empty cup of coffee was next to his hand, which held the pen he was doing the crossword with. His eyes held an expectant look in them, like the way someone looks when they glance up at the sound of their name. The sunlight from the kitchen window just barely reached him, giving a lighter coloration to the left side of his face.

                Arthur had to admit, it wasn’t a bad photo. Compared to the off-guard photos that his siblings used to take to mess around with him, this picture was pretty good. He wasn’t nearly as ugly in this photo as he had expected. Maybe he wouldn’t burn it to ashes.

                “See? Not as bad as you thought, huh?” Alfred said, placing his chin on Arthur’s head. He took it, taping it on the photo wall, right next to the one where he has tried to duck out of the frame and only a blurry tuft of Arthur’s hair could be seen.

                Arthur sighed, a gentle smile on his face. Maybe taking a few pictures wasn’t as terrible as he thought it to be. Maybe next time it wouldn’t be an off-guard; he began to warm up to the idea of a few pictures being taken here and there now.

**Author's Note:**

> Okay so I've had this idea in my head for a while, but just now got down to writing it. I was about to leave it in the pile of other projects I've started and then abandoned after 600 words, but then I saw this picture rockets.tumblr.com/post/19791355718 and it really reminded me of my fic and I was like !!!! I should finish it!!!! So I marathoned writing it and so I'm not too happy with the ending but I'm going to fix it later.   
> I pictured (no pun intended) Alfred's camera to be a minolta hi-matic e (the camera I have), but at the same time I think it would fit with the minolta hi-matic AF (why did I get so deep in thought on the look of the camera?)  
> Okay, if you're also following Magnolia, it may seem like I abandoned it, but I haven't! It may take a while for another update, because right now I'm preparing for my big math exam and writing an English paper and the such. But just wait until summer, I'll really update a lot then!  
> Also, I've been writing a lot of other new projects, so there's going to be a lot of new stuff. Here's a picture of all the stuff I have so far: http://s7.postimg.org/jo64zme6z/sin.jpg I'll probably post all of my oneshots as I finish them (and come up with names for them orz) and I'll wait to post my next chapter fic (second on the list) until I have a couple of chapters to post in case I have writer's block.  
> Tbh this isn't my favorite pairing (I'm more of a rusame and fruk person) but I felt like this idea fit best with this ship. Also, I've warmed up to it a little since I first got into the fandom (I straight up couldn't stand it then). Speaking of which, a rusame fic is one of the chapter ideas I have!  
> Alright I'm gonna be honest, posting this was really just a way for me to procrastinate, so I'm going to get back to my homework. I might fix up the ending later, who knows. Leave a review if you want, it'll help me get better at writing!


End file.
